Educational systems in all nations are called on to accommodate people who are past the age of compulsory schooling but who desire further education that is not provided by the traditional universities. In the United States, the term "community college" is used generically for all publicly-supported institutions accredited to award the associate degree as their highest degree. Overall, community college education is more generalized in countries where student tracking is delayed, as in the United States, and more specialized where students are directed to their likely place in the workforce at an early stage, as in Northern Europe. Nevertheless, community colleges worldwide share certain characteristics: they serve several purposes in the interstice between compulsory and higher education, or, in some cases, after higher education; their fees are usually lower than those charged by universities; students may enroll without satisfying rigorous university requirements; and large numbers of part-time faculty are employed. The people attending community colleges tend to reflect the characteristics of the adult population of the college district, and most students attend on a part-time basis, commuting from their nearby residences. Community college faculty have more in common with secondary school teachers than with university professors, rarely engaging in research or scholarly publication and often having close ties with local industries or governments. Governance and organizational patterns vary from state-coordinated systems to branches of universities, privately-run institutions, and nationally coordinated systems. A comparison of institutions in the People's Republic of China, Germany, Japan, New Zealand, and Norway illustrates that curricular emphases, control, and student populations constitute the areas of major difference. Expansion of the community college sector is assured due to rising demand worldwide for further education at reasonable cost. (JMC)